5.1 Ecosystems, Energy, and Nutrients

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 5 ECOSYSTEMS 5.1 Ecosystems, Energy, and Nutrients Did anyone ever ask you the question: Where do you get your energy? Energy enters our world from the Sun but how does the Sun s energy become your energy? Read this section to find out. Higher levels of organization Organizing living things You have learned how an individual living thing is organized into cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. Individual organisms can be grouped into higher levels of organization. Organisms of the same species are grouped into populations. Populations of different species of organisms are grouped into communities. Different communities form ecosystems, which make up the biosphere. Research, list, and describe at least two populations that make up each of the four tropical rainforest communities. An example of an ecosystem A tropical rainforest is an example of an ecosystem. You have read that an ecosystem is made up of a group of living things and their physical surroundings. A tropical rainforest ecosystem is made up of the plants and animals that live there, plus nonliving things like soil, air, water, sunlight, and nutrients. The living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem work together like a team. 84 UNIT 2 ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

2 ECOSYSTEMS CHAPTER 5 Photosynthesis and energy Sunlight Photosynthesis Sunlight is almost always the first type of energy to enter an ecosystem. How is energy from the Sun useful to an ecosystem? You may already know that some living things, like plants, are able to capture the energy from sunlight (Figure 5.1). When another living thing in an ecosystem eats a plant, it is gaining energy that came first from the Sun. Photosynthesis happens when a plant uses the Sun s energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates such as sugars and starches. Carbohydrates are molecules that store energy in the form of chemical bonds. A company that bottles orange juice once advertised that there is a little sunshine in every bottle. There is some scientific truth to that advertisement! Figure 5.1: The leaves of a plant are organs that collect light for photosynthesis. 5.1 ECOSYSTEMS, ENERGY, AND NUTRIENTS 85

3 CHAPTER 5 ECOSYSTEMS Energy roles in ecosystems Niche Producers Consumers Decomposers Niche is a term that describes the role of a species or population in its ecosystem. Part of an organism s niche is its role in the movement of energy through an ecosystem. Energy roles include producers, consumer, and decomposers. A producer is a living thing, like a plant, that can make its own food. Another word for produce is make. Plants use the Sun s energy to make their own food. Trees are common producers in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Other members of ecosystems cannot make their own food. A consumer must feed on other living things to get food and energy. Another word for consume is eat. Consumers eat other living things. An herbivore is a consumer that eats only plants. A carnivore is a consumer that eats only animals. A consumer that eats both plants and animals is called an omnivore. There are many consumers in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Insects, caterpillars, and monkeys feed on the plants and trees. These herbivores are eaten by carnivores such as pumas. All living things in an ecosystem create waste and eventually die. If waste and dead organisms are not somehow broken down, the compounds they contain would not become available for other living organisms in that ecosystem. The waste would pile up and potentially harm living things. A decomposer is a living thing that consumes waste and dead organisms to get energy. Decompose means to break down. Decomposers break down material from waste and dead organisms, and the compounds are returned to the ecosystem. Fungi and bacteria are decomposers in many ecosystems (Figure 5.2). Decomposers are important and can be called nature s recyclers. niche - the role of an organism or population in its ecosystem. producer - a living thing that can make its own food. consumer - a living thing that eats other living things for food and energy. herbivore - a consumer that eats only plants. carnivore - a consumer that eats only animals. omnivore - a consumer that eats both plants and animals. decomposer - a living thing that breaks down waste and dead things. Figure 5.2: Mushrooms are fungi that help decompose fallen branches and leaves on the forest floor. 86 UNIT 2 ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

4 ECOSYSTEMS CHAPTER 5 Energy flow and nutrient cycles The flow of energy Nutrients are cycled through the ecosystem The importance of decomposers Energy flows from producers to consumers and eventually to decomposers in an ecosystem. For example, when a mouse eats seeds, energy stored in the seeds flows to the mouse. When a hawk eats the mouse, energy flows from the mouse to the hawk. The energy left in wastes and dead organisms flows to the decomposers. At each step, some of that energy is lost in the form of unusable heat. This means that energy is continuously lost to the ecosystem. You will read more about energy and ecosystems in the next section. The energy available to the ecosystem is continuously lost as unusable heat as it moves from one member to another. Nutrients are different. Nutrients are the elements and compounds needed by organisms to stay alive. Nutrients like water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and calcium, are cycled through the ecosystem and continuously reused. That s why, when scientists talk about the water or carbon in a ecosystem, they use terms like water cycle or carbon-oxygen cycle. Decomposers play important roles in nutrient cycles. Decomposers like fungi and bacteria return nutrients to the soil, water, or air, where they can again be used by the other living members of the ecosystem. The diagram (right) shows how living things are linked together by energy and nutrients in ecosystems. 5.1 ECOSYSTEMS, ENERGY, AND NUTRIENTS 87

5 CHAPTER 5 ECOSYSTEMS The water and carbon-oxygen cycles Water and sunlight Carbon and oxygen Living things need water and sunlight. The Sun is always there, but what about water? Water supply depends on the water cycle. Nature allows water to recycle so it can be used in many ecosystems. Look at the picture to the left. Where does the energy come from to make the water cycle work? That s right, the Sun is the source of energy. Even though we can t see them, carbon and oxygen are important parts of ecosystems. The carbonoxygen cycle describes how the ecosystem uses these important elements. Carbon is present in both air and water as carbon dioxide gas. Oxygen is also a gas that is found in air and water. Producers take in carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis, and release oxygen. Consumers take in oxygen for their life processes and release carbon dioxide. When you breathe in, your body gets the oxygen it needs. When you breathe out, your body gets rid of carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide is needed by producers in your ecosystem. Understanding a cycle diagram Refer to the water cycle diagram on this page to practice this study skill. 1. Place your finger on a part of the cycle. A cycle repeats over and over, so it does not matter where you begin. 2. Follow the arrows in the diagram while tracing your finger along the pathway. 3. Read each label and make sure you understand what happens during each step. 4. Refer to the diagram and write down a few sentences about what happens in the cycle from start to finish. 88 UNIT 2 ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

6 ECOSYSTEMS CHAPTER Section Review 1. What is an ecosystem? 2. Use the terms producer, consumer, and decomposer to label each member of the meadow ecosystem: grass, grasshopper, frog, snake, hawk, and fungus. 3. What process changes light energy into chemical energy (energy that can be used by organisms other than producers) in an ecosystem? 4. How are nutrients cycled back into the ecosystem from which they came? 5. A is the type of organism that undergoes photosynthesis, converting energy into a usable form of food for other organisms in an ecosystem. 6. What form of energy is lost by moving from producer to consumer to decomposer in an ecosystem? a. light b. heat c. food energy 7. Research the term chemosynthesis on the Internet. After researching the term, explain what chemosynthesis is. Then provide an explanation for why the statement, all living things require energy from the Sun is not true. 8. Bonus question: What is the name of the cactus pictured to the right? The Sonoran Desert covers about 120,000 square miles in southwestern Arizona, southeastern California, and parts of Mexico. Divide your journal page into two columns labeled Producers and Consumers. Do some research and list five different common producers and consumers in the Sonoran Desert. 5.1 ECOSYSTEMS, ENERGY, AND NUTRIENTS 89

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